Windsheld cleaner



5 sheets-shea 2 NW www ,x

Aug. 3, 1937. .1. B. WHITTED WINDSHIELD CLEANER Filed oct. 29, 1934 Aug.3, 1937.

J. B. wHlTTED WINDSHIELD CLEANER l 5 Sheets-Sheet. 5

Filed Oct. 29, 1934 196 192 faz/i z@ i? UNI'IEDV STATE `Patented Aug. 3,1937 PATENT-orifice 1 wmnsnmm cLEANEn .mim B. wiimed, Evanston,111.,.assignor to Stewart-Warner Corporation, corporation of Virginia..

Chicago,` Ill., a

Application October 29,` 1934, Serial No.` 750,472

e claims. (ci is--zssi il My invention relates generally towindshieldcleaners, and more particularly to improvements i inoperating andcontrol mechanism for mechan- `ically` driven windshield wipers. n

i Inwindshield wipers for automotive vehicles which are mechanicallydriven from a rotating part of the engine, diiliculty hasbeenencountered in providing a simple and reliable means iforvcontrollingthe operation of the wipers. 'Ihe control mechanism should preferablyinclude n means for causingthe wipers tojbe moved to a parked positionsomewhat beyond their normal oscillating range and have means for`disengaging the mechanical drive at the instant that the "-`jwipersreach che fparkeaf position. 'miese obfherein y. n n. n y n y Afurther"object of myinvention is to provide jects are attained in the"construction disclosed "an `improved slip drive connection between the c2b wiper" operating n mechanism and the wiper rock p `Shaft whereby thewiper may be arrested during normal operation of the cleaner withoutdamaging the operating mechanism, and whereby upon release of the wipenadriving connection between the wiper rock shaft and its `operatingmechanism will be reestabllshed with `the parts in` proper "phaserelationship.` n n p y f `Afurther object is to provide means for pre-'iventing `the .transmission of engine vibration and noise throughA theeasing of the flexible `drive shaftl" fA further object is `to provide`an improved i means "for dlsengaging the drive shaft clutch. n i Afurther Objectis toprovide `an improved 35 means for moving the wipers`beyond their 'normal operating range to `their parked positions. Afurther object is to provide an improved control mechanism `i`n whichthecontrol handle may Ifbelocated a considerable distance from theoperating mechanism. n

Otherobjects will appear from the following "description,"referencebeing had to the accompanylngdrawings, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a :front elevation of` a portion of `an ispatompbiie showingthe mndshieid wipers in "parkefposition and illustrating the range of`their operation;

. y Fig.` 2 is a sectional View showing the flexible driving `shaft andclutch mechanism; y Fig; 3 isa plan view of the wiper operating andcontrol mechanism; n

Figqi is an elevation of the windshield wiper :driving and controllingmechanism; l

. l Fig. 5 isa fragmentary sectional view showin `on the line "I5- I5ofFig. 13;

the mounting of thecrank pin,` taken on4 the line 5-5 of Fig; 4;'

Fig. 6 is afragmentary sectional View taken on l the line B-j of Fig. 4,and showing the lost motion driving connection n between the connectingrod and driving link;

Fig; 7 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 1.-@-1 of Fig. 4;n

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view takenon the line 8 8 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 9 is a. fragmentary sectional view taken onthe line 9--9 of Fig. 7and showing `the parts in the position assumed while the wiper isoperating;

"Fig 101s a view similar to Fig. 9 showing the parts in the positionassumed when the wiper n is not in operation;

11 is .a fragmentary `elevationof the operating mechanism shown inoperating position;

` Fig. 12 is a view similar to Fig. 11 showingthe parts in the position`assumed when the `Wiper is not in operation; n

Fig. 13 is a plan view ofthe driving connection between the operatingmeans and the wiper rock shaft;

` Fig. 14 is a fragmentary `sectional view-taken on the line H-Il ofFig.13;v`

. Fig. 15 is a. fragmentarysectional view'taken Fig. 16 is a plan viewof a modified ,form of control mechanism; l

Fig.` 17 is a vertical sectional view thereof taken `onthe line I'I--Ilof Fig. 16; l

i f- Fig. 18 is a view similarto Fig. 17 illustrating extendingtherethrough and projecting therefrom.` Thepin 22 is adapted to beengagedin a slot 24 formed in the `spindle I6, the pin and slot n thusforming a`. clutch mechanism. The" clutch" Umember 20 `is mountedforrotation and longitu- 1 `dinal sliding movement in a bushing 26, and hasaflexible shaft 28 secured thereto. The flexible shaft 28 extendsthrough a anged ferrule 29 secured `to a flexible casing 30, and throughthev g ao casing to a rack 32 which is positioned within a housing 34located adjacent the windshield.

`The bushing 28 is pressed into the ferrule 29, and the bushing'andferrule separated from the bearing member by insulating cup I1 and ringI3. the cup and ring being preferably made of an oil Aresisting rubberor rubber-like composition. The base of they cup |1 is supported by a atwasher 2| and the ring." I8 is carried in a anged washer 23 and theassembly clamped in place by a sleeveV nut 26. The cup l1 and ring I9thus completely insulate the ferrule 29 from the bearing member I8 andprevent transmission of engine noise and vibrationY to the casing 30when the clutch member 20 isfdisenga'ged from the spindle I6, and willgreatly reduce the noise even when the clutch is engaged. The provi#sion of this vibration and noise insulation is of considerable practicalimportance because a windshield cleaner mechanism which is noisy evenwhen not in operation would not be accepted by the public. The rack 82is engaged by a mutilated pinion 36 secured to a sleeve 31 rotatable fona control shaft 38. Therack is provided with an' extension 40 whichislongitudinally slidable into the bore 42 of a wormv 44.

Pins 46 projecting from the extension 40 o f the rack are engageable insuitable key slots kformed within the bore 42, and thus form a rotatingdriving connection between the extension 40 and the worm. 'I'he worm 44is suitably mounted for rotationin a housing 48 and drives a worm wheel50 which is secured to a shaft 62 which is suitably journaled in thehousing 48.

V52 V'projects from the housing 4 8 and has a crank 64 secured thereto.A shouldered crank pin 56 is riveted to the crank 64 `,and has aconnecting l Y link 50 pivotally connected thereto.y 'I'he link 58 issecured to the pinv 56 by a split ring'60 (Fig. l whichl nts ina groove62 formed in the crank pin 66. A dished resilient 'washer 64 isinterposed between the crank 54 and the connecting link 58 totake upplay and wear. The crank pin 56 has an eccentric overthrow pin-likeprojection 66 formed integrally therewith, this proliection being'eccentrically positioned to enable it tobe accurately located byrotation of the pin 66 during the assembly of the mechanism.

e The connecting link 58carries apin 68 which projects throughanelongatevdfslot formed in an actuating link'12.y Aclip14is interposedbetween the connectinglink .'i8 andthe actuating link 12` and has an,apertured sidewardly ex- 55 tending` lug.. forminghanmanchorage vfor oneend e, of atension coil spring 16, theother end of which(ractuating'link isA pivotally secured at its ends to is secured to theconnecting link 12. The .i-.pin 68 and its associated parts thus forms aresilient lost motion driving connection.between the connecting link58and the actuating link 12.` -The arms 18 an`d 80 respectively.

As best showninFig. 13. the. armv 80 is secured to a gear 82 mounted forrotation upon a stud 65 84y which is riveted to amounting plate 86.V.The

gear 82fineshes with a pinionr 88 which' is rotatable upon a lwiperroekshaft 90. VThewiper `rockshaftis suitably journaled in..a sleeve 92carried in the mounting plate 86 and hasy a pin 70 84 'projectingdlametrically. therethrough. ,The

pinion 88 has a palrof V-shapedv notches 96 formed in the hub thereoffor engagement with e theproiecting endsof the pin 94,`t'he pinion be-4'ing resiliently heldv in such `engagement with the u pin 84 by a coilspring 98 compressed between Referring tongs. -3, 4, 5, sind 11, theshaft y94 to disengage the notches 86 from the pin.

When the pinion 88 has been thus forced out of proper engagement withthe pin 94 the wiper arm when released might be oscillated improperlydueto the frictional engagement of the ends of the pin 84 with the flatsurface of the hub of the pinion 88. y To prevent such improperoperation a stop comprising a pin |02 is pressed into the mounting plate86. If the wiper is being oscillated when the notches in the hub of thepinion 88 are not properly in engagement with the pin 94, one or theother of the ends of the pin-94 will striker the stop pin |02 and holdthe latter until the notches 86 in the hub of the pinion 88 re-engagethe pin 94. This slip drive connection constitutes an improvement uponthe connection disclosed in my aforesaid copending applicationSerial`No. 692,588. y

The right hand wiper is provided with lgears and kpinions for operatingits rock shaft |06 of substantially identical rconstruction with thatshown in Fig. 13 and will not be described in detail. Each of the rockshafts 90 and |06 is provided at its outer extremity with a suitableconnection tp a wiper arm |08 (Figs. 4' and 8) to rwhich a squeegee IIOis suitably secured. As

`adjacent the frame of the windshield in inconspicious position, andwhere they do not inter- "fere with the view of the operator of thevehicle.

The means for controlling the operation of the lwindshield comprisesgenerally a handlefl I2 securedyto aY shaft |i 4 which is suitablymounted for rotation in brackets IIB and II8. yThe shaft II4 has anarcuate bend |20 formed therein. A spring |22 is tensioned between thearcuate portion |20 of the shaft I|4 and a suitable an- Y choragebracket |24. yThe spring thusl tends to 'hold the shaft in on and offpositions respectively, the shaft being rotated through deadcenterpcsitionwith respect `to the spring |22 L.when turned from on tooiT' position and vice `versa. A stamped gear *sector |26 is rigidlysecured to the upperend of `the control shaft I I4 and vengages a pinion|28 secured to the end of shaft 38. VA collar |30.is secured to theright hand (Fig. 7) end ofk shaft 38, the collarbeing provided with aquadrant-shaped projection |32 which is adapted to engage a similarlyshaped Ip'rojection'l formed on the sleeve 31. The

sleeve 31 has a single toothed caml shaped member |36/ formedintegrally' therewith. A torsion spring |38 hasone end'anchored to thesleeve 31 and its other end secured `to a supporting `member |40, whichlatter, together witha plate |42 and frame member |44, form a supportingframe for the control mechanism, this frame being secured to themounting plate 86 by screws |46, asshown in Fig. 8. y

'A coil I48.of strip springv metal has its inner y end secured to thecollar |30 and its outer end anchored to the frame member` |40 as shownin Fig. 7. v

. p d `,oeafaaa f d *A iatcniilsa is mounted "for bivetaifmvement,

" on a" studf|62 threaded in Athepframejmember |66 and is normally heldinf engagement with i head permit easily jadjusting its` pcsition `is l`secured tothe connecting link; 12 br nt pivotally secured to theactuating `link IZbY a shouldered rivet M|64 and is normally tensionedto move toits lowerinoperativeposition shown inFig.*11 byawire spring|66', oneend of which 1 formed "in thefarin.` Downward swinging moveifment of thearm is limited by astop pinlilwhich V engages' in` anotch |12formed in the `arrn |62.

` arcuate strip |16 is secured'tothe lowerjedge of "the arm-1162 or maybe` formed integrally therewith,` and overlies the spring strip coil|46:

in Figs. and 12, in which position the rack62 willbe in its leftmostposition and the pin 22 of the clutch member withdrawn from the slot 24.When it is desired to render the windshield cleaner operative the handle||2 is rotated in `they are shown in Fig. 9.

Upon reaching the position shown in Fig. 9, the toothed member |66 willbe engaged by the d latch 56 and the former thus heldin the position ishown. It will be noted that clockwise rotation of the shaft 36 willmore tightly wind the spring stripcoil |46 as shown in Fig. 11.Clockwiserotation of the shaft 36 and the sleeve 31 will,

through `the mutilated pinion 36 `and rack 32,

force the pin 22 of the clutching member 26 into .d 50 theslot 24 of thespindle I6, whereupon the flexible drive shaft will transmit rotarymovement to the worm 44 and hence to'the crank arm `64.

In the construction shown the shaft 62 to which the crank arm 54 isattached will rotate counter- 55 clockwise. Uponrotation of the shaft 52the crank arm 54 will reciprocate the actuating link 12` and thusthrough the gears and pinions 62,

68, oscillate the wiper rock shafts. The cleaner` will continueoperation and the squeegees of the .60 wipers oscillate through the arcsindicated in i dot-dash lines in Fig. 1. i

When it is desired `to stop the operation of the windshield cleaner, thehandle ||2 is rotated in `a direction opposite to that indicated by the.65 arrow in Figs.` 3 and 4, thereby rotating the shaft 38counterclockwise. Such counterclockwise d movement of the shaft36 willcausea partial unwinding ofthe spiral coil |46, causing its outerconvolution toengage the strip |16 which is at- 70 tached to theoverthrow arm |62 and thereby raising the latter from theposition inwhich it is shown in Fig. 11 to a.` position in which its shoulder|14lies in the path of the projecting portion66 of the crank pin 56. Thecrank arm "g5 54 will continue rotating until the projection 66 `of thepin 66 engages lthe l and through such engagementforccs Athe arm `|62the peripheral edge of the toothed member |36 d `by a torsion coilspring |64 surroundinglthestud `-f`iz-`i`anchored` thekerf ofthe rivet|64 and the i; .Y

other end ofrwhich projects through a hole" |66 The free door me isz is`provided with .Q i notch'formihg ashoulder |'|`4'` for engagement`"withthe projection 66 ofthecrankpinlj. An

"Whenthe wiper is not in operation the parts will be in the positions inwhich they are shown 11)".to the position Vshown in. Figl 12.

The lost motion co Fig. 6 will permit thisexcessdmovement to the andhence the actuating link "l2 to the right `(lilig.

ection shown in detail `rimitof theeonnectmgunk u and the uur win.

" through the `gears 62 and pinions"6`6,swing the wiper arms to,` their"parkedypositions as: indicated in Fig. 1. Just `prior tothe time thatthe connecting link 12 reachesits extreme rightmost position. theeccentric head |56 of the screw |56 will engage the tailportionofthelatchll and swing the` latter clockwise" to disengage its tooth fromthat of the'toothed member |66.` Upon dis-` `engagen'ientof `the latchthe torsion `spring |66 will. rotatethe sleeve 31 counterclockwise andthrough the mutilated pinion 66 and rack 62 withdraw the pin `22 fromits slot 24,` `thus disconnecting the drive. The `operating parts willthus come torest substantially in the position as shown in Fig. `12; Itwill be noted that in` this positionthe friction betweenthe shoulderv`|I4 of thearm |62 `and the projection 66 of Ithecrank. pin `66 will besuiliciently.greattopreventthe spring |66 from wardly.

The modied form of `manually operable control mechanism as shown inFigs. 16 to 19 inclu` swingingthe arm |62 downsive possesses a number ofadvantages over that shown in Figs. 'I and 8, for installations oncertain kinds of automobiles.` The handle shaft |66, which correspondsto the handle shaft ||4 shown in Figs. 7 and 8, is detachably secured toa supporting bracket |62 instead oi' being moreor less permanentlyassembled with the frame of the windshield wiper operating mechanism.The

mechanism as a whole is thus rendered less bulky for shipment and theinstallation of the wiper ;mechanism upon an automobile by theautomobile manufacturer is simplified.

The shaft |66 has a segmental gear |64 pressed over the upper endthereof so as to be permanently secured thereto. The teeth of thesegment |64 mesh with the teeth of a mutilated pinion |66.r

The upper end of the shaft Hill-has a portion |66 of reduced diameterwhich is surrounded by a bearing bushing |90, the latter ttingin an enplarged circular portion |62 of an opening formed in the bracket |62. Theshaft is held in4 positionby a spring clip |64 which fits about a groove|66 formed in the reduced diameter portion |66 To facilitate theassembly of the handle control shaft and gear |64 to the frame, thebracket |62 has a small diameter aperture |66 which partially intersectsthe larger opening |62. Due to the provision of the aperture |66 theshaft |66 may be positioned as shown in Fig. 16 and then moved to theright to bring the teeth of its segmental `gear |64 intomesh with theteeth of the mutilated pinion |66. 4After the teeth of these two partsare intermeshed the bushing |66 is placed over the reduced diameter'lportion |66 or the shaft. the bushing fitting snugly within the enlargedportion |92 of the` aperture. Thereafter the spring clip |94 is securedto the end of the shaft, thus holding the parts in the assembledposition as shown in Figs. 16 and 17. i The `lower end of the controlshaft |66 may be supported by a bracket ||6, |24 as illustrated in iFig. 8.

The modified construction shown in Figs. 16 to 19 inclusive thus makesit possible to pack the windshield wiper more easily with less liabilityofdamage during shipment and furthermore taeilitates the installation o!the wiperupon the automobile. e

While I have described and shown certain preferred embodiments oi'myinvention. many modiilcations may be made without departing from thespirit o! the invention, and I do not wish to be limited to the precisedetails set forth but desire to avail myself of all changes within thescope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention. what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. In a windshield cleaner, the combination of a pair oi windshieldwipers movable across the surface o! the windshield tov wipe spaceswithin the normal nelds of vision of occupants o! the vehicle, aresilient lost motion driving connection for said wipers.' a source oi'ypower. a clutch i'or coupling said driving connection with said sourceof power, a controlelement for operating said clutch, and means..including a pivoted overthrow arm attached to the wiper side o! saiddriving connection and actuated by said control element for eilecting adriving connection between said source oi power and said wipers which isindependent of said resilient lost motion driving connection andoperates to move said wipers beyond their normal range o! movement topositions outside of the ileld of vision ot the occupants o! the'vehicle. l

2. In a windshield cleaner, the combination of a rotatable` crank, adisengageable clutch for operatively connecting said crank to a sourceof power, a pair ot oscillatory windshield wipers, a link toroscillating said wipers. a lost motion connection .between said crankand said link, a projection on said crank, an a'rm pivoted to said link.resilient means to move said arm out ot the path of movement oi' theprojection on said crank, a manually operable control element for saidclutch. and means koperated by said element when it is moved from clutchengaging position to clutch disengaging podtion to move said arm intotlyv path ot movement 'oi' said projection on said c' ank, whereby whensaid control element is moved to clutch disengaging position saidprojection will engage said arm and move said link and said wipersbeyond their normal operating positions.

. JOHN B. WHITTED.

